A fantastic lounge lizard recipe for: Coffee Nudge, with dark creme de cacao, coffee liqueur, brandy, coffee and whipped cream.
Category: Coffee / Tea – Coffee
Ingredients: 3/4 oz dark creme de cacao
3/4 oz coffee liqueur
1/2 oz brandy
6 – 8 oz hot coffee
1 1/2 oz whipped cream
How to: Combine all with coffee and top with whipped cream.
Glassware: Irish Coffee Cup
What’s in it for you?
(per 10.5 oz serving)
|
Calories (kcal)
Energy (kj)
Fats
Carbohydrates
Protein
|
283
1185
10.3 g
22.3 g
9 g
|
Fiber
Sugars
Cholesterol
Sodium
Alcohol
|
0 g
15.3 g
-
-
16.6 g
|
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Let’s think of love not as a word but an action. Instead of saying “I love you.” Show you wife that you love her. Be more loving! How can a man show his woman he loves her? By doing!
Forget about the box of chocolates and flowers. Any man can go buy these things. But any man cannot show love to his wife on a whim. The chocolates get eaten and make your wife fat and cranky; the flowers wither and die in three days. What about showing your love by doing things that you know your wife will enjoy?
~How Should A Husband Love His Wife~
When was the last time you wined and dined your wife? What about a mini-vacation? Are you the romantic type? If not find out how you can amaze your wife by being a romantic guy. What would that involve?
A woman likes a man who can cook. How about cooking her an intimate candlelit dinner for two? Don’t know how to cook? Get a cookbook and do it anyway. Have some fun in the kitchen and enjoy yourself.
Don’t forget, you wife likes to be touched and hugged without the pressure of sex looming in the near future. Sometimes the hugging and coddling is more important to her than the actual sex act. Not that she doesn’t like to orgasm but that she wants to KNOW that you love her more than the sex act itself. Hug her and cuddle her and you’ll most likely get what you want later.
The most important way to show your love is through your acceptance and validation. Are you the kind of guy that discounts his wife’s choices, desires, and needs through invalidation? This kind of behavior will cause all kinds of trouble in the marriage. Let me tell you why.
By invalidating your wife in whatever manner, you have essentially rejected her. She will feel as if her opinions, decisions, and beliefs don’t count and shouldn’t be regarded with importance. She will hold this within her consciousness and it will come back to haunt you later on in the marriage. This won’t be on purpose but mostly because you have hurt her. She loves you and when you invalidate her feelings, thoughts, actions, beliefs, views, and opinions, she gets hurt!
Let me tell you a big secret about woman, which also includes your wife. Your wife may ask you for your opinion on something because it is in her nature to get a second opinion but that does not necessarily mean that she will go with your opinion or your opposing viewpoint.
I’m not talking about the submission thing here either. What I’m talking about is just everyday thoughts and actions of your wife. If for some reason you really feel that it is best that you disagree with her thoughts and feelings, do so AFTER you have said something positive about the way she thinks and feels. Be understanding! If you actually validate her she will see it your way on her own, even if she won’t admit it.
Your wife may also like to vent her feelings more then you, not because she needs for you to find a solution so much as just being a sounding board. Give her validation in what she has to say, and then ask her if she is looking for an opinion and or solution first before giving her one. This doesn’t make much sense to you, but to us women it makes a lot of sense.
~How A Wife Should Love Her Husband~
It is my firm belief that it is easier to make a man happy than for a man to make a woman happy. I believe this because men really don’t ask for much. If they can camp out on the hard ground with the ants and other bugs how hard can they be to please? Yes, I know this sounds superficial but think about this for a moment. Have you noticed how much happier, and less stressed out your man is when he has his two most important needs met, sex and food?
It is also semi-true that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. They love to eat and they love to eat good tasty meals. When their stomachs are full, and they have been taken care of physically, a man doesn’t ask for much else.
Don’t forget, the home is a man’s castle. Knowing this, make every effort to keep his castle tidy and free of stressful situations that could upset his equilibrium. He has worked all day long and wants to come home to a loving and sweet wife, not a grouch and a TV dinner
Be appreciative of every little thing your man does around the house. Make your man feel like a man by being a woman. Give him a hug and a kiss where it counts, talk about your day together. Don’t reject your husband sexually. Make him feel good about himself by telling him so. Respect him for who he is and what he does!
Basically, a woman needs validated and intimacy, and a man needs sex and good food. Find ways in which you can give of your self in the marriage by being more loving in these areas.
And men, after you have shown your wife how much you love her, then you can buy her the chocolates and flowers.
Angie Lewis offers spiritual enlightenment tips for couples in marriage, and is the author of new release book JOURNEY ON THE ROADS LESS TRAVELED. This unique book is about love, life, marriage, addiction, temptation, and understanding the power of spiritual awareness for your marriage. In her book, Angie reveals her own journey of overcoming addiction and battling with her negative emotions that she allowed to embrace her life and marriage.
To find out more about this new book click here, http://www.spiritual.journeybooks.4t.com/
ISBN 1413788904
Avaliable Amazon online!
Angie Lewis counsels couples and writes a monthly newsletter where she reveals her secrets on how YOU can stay happily married for life! Subscribe to get your FREE monthly newsletter so you can stay happily and forever married!
http://www.heavenministries.com/
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GONE are the days when the second time bride known as the “encore bride” has to settle for scaled down ceremonies with fewer guests.
With over 45% percent of all weddings today involving one or both partners who have been married before, it’s difficult to tell from the attire whether the modern bride is marrying for the first or umpteenth time. In fact, the modern bride who is lucky enough to find love again is trampling on the old traditions. Now their wedding is based on their taste and their budget. With the motto being: “This is the last time, and it’s got to be the best.”
The “encore bride” is in a different place than when she had her first wedding. They are confident, they have more money to spend, and they know what they want. Their focus is on “simple elegance”.
Whether it is your first, second or third wedding the focal point is still the wedding dress. These brides are seeking dresses that are tailored rather than poufy – a sexy, sophisticated look with the emphasis on quality fabrics.
Today’s trends in bridal gowns are all about you. Your second wedding gown should reflect your personal style, your fashion sense and what kind of wedding you want to have.
When shopping for that perfect dress it helps to know your body type so you can choose the gown that highlights your best features and downplays the areas you wish you could forget.
Here are some of the latest fashion trends to help get you started:
Trains are fine, but keep them simple, again matching the formality and style of the wedding.
Show some skin: At this year’s runway shows, many designers decided to go bare. Creations featured mostly strapless gowns that place the emphasis on the bodice: gently weaved, beaded, or simple with demure jeweled straps.
Body-Conscious: Designers are very body conscious these days, with shape taking precedence. This is good news for any bride: most of these dresses have a slimming effect. The ever-popular A-line (also known as princess) is a long cut that draws the eye downwards, and often has a built-in train. This does not mean that designers have abandoned the classic traditional gowns…the skirts still float but the cut is meant to flatter the body.
Embroidery and Lace: These two mainstays of bridal fashion never go out of style and let’s not forget beading. Today’s bride wants the opulence in beadwork with many designers choosing crystals over glass beads.
Color: This component of a gown has never been so popular. Brides are actually thinking outside the box these days choosing jewel tone gowns in gold, silver, and a variety of pearl tones. However, second time brides still are confident enough to wear white, after all “white symbolizes commitment and faithfulness” so why not!
Where to Look: Magazines are the traditional way a bride begins her gown search, but why not look for a gown online? Most designers now have WebPages, and a collection of name gowns can be found on a number of websites. And if you’re wondering, “Will the gown of my dreams fit me right?” there’s help to be found on a multitude of websites which determine your body type and then suggest the dress type that is best for your figure.
Finally Hit the Runways! The latest fashions needn’t remain a trade secret. Bridal shows, which feature live runway presentations of the current trends and designers, are an excellent way to view a variety of gowns.
A wedding is a celebration of love so indulge and take your time finding that perfect gown. The number one comment I receive from second time brides is…”this is definitely it, I’m not getting married again”.
Gail Young is a co-founder of The Bridal Chalet, an online bridal boutique selling designer style couture and traditional wedding gowns and bridal accessories. A second time bride herself, Gail combines her extensive knowledge of the industry with her passion for designing couture bridal fashion. The Bridal Chalet has a collection of exclusive designer wedding gowns geared to the second time bride – the Sara Houston Collection.
Visit her website at: www.bridalchalet.com
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When people are asked to think of less than successful salesman, one of the unpleasant characteristics that springs to mind is them being pushy or aggressive.
The usual memory is of looking for a new car or used car! We have all had experiences when the salesman hasn’t stopped talking and you sense yourself being pushed to say ‘yes’. You find yourself signing on the dotted line!
Too many business owners, when presenting their sales pitch don’t think about whether their style could be perceived as pushy or aggressive, and don’t realise what they could be losing. In this article we are going to look at exactly what being pushy or aggressive looks like and how it can damage building long term relationships (which is what selling should be about).
Being pushy, whether intentionally or unintentionally, can be the ruin of a salesperson. Luckily we are all individuals, so we have a different ‘pain’ threshold where pushy salesmen are concerned; some people will shrug it off, others will feel intimidated. But what defines ‘pushy’?
To ‘push’ something is the act of exerting force on one object in order to move it from one place to another. When you push an object, its weight responds as resistance and to overcome this you have to push harder. To fulfil the act of pushing you have to expend effort, but when strong enough, resistance can prevent you from moving forward.
Looking at the preceding words again, but re-framing them in a sales context, you can quickly see what being pushy is – forcing your will onto the buyer, countering resistance with more force, using effort to get a result. This is not how to make a sale or encourage someone to buy from you again! You must always remember that a customer is with you because he wants to be there – he can quickly change his mind.
What are the actions you take in your sales process, which could be perceived as aggressive?
• Not taking ‘no’ for answer
• Not actively listening or watching for body language hints which are telling you to stop, that your message is not getting across
• Being overly familiar with the customer too early in the sales process
• Despite having been told that he is not interested, within a few days you are back on the phone, following up the previous meeting
These actions could be taken in all innocence but the outcome is the same – the customer feels pressurised.
So what’s the impact of these actions? Here are some of the possible outcomes if you take things too far.
• You may be lucky and hit upon a customer who is too meek to fight back or walk away. Great, you made a sale! However, they will never buy from you again. Missing out on repeat business means you are missing on the real profit. The next deal can be completed without all the preliminary talk so the true profit is higher. Be pushy and you miss out on all of this
• If the customer is a strong personality, he may dig his heels in and an argument quickly develops. You can never conclude a sale under these circumstances. Worse still, if you are in the retail trade, potential customers wandering around your shop may pick up on the tense atmosphere and be out of the door with their money still in their pocket. The result? More than one lost sale
• Even if your product or service is ideal for them and satisfies all their requirements, if they feel uncomfortable with your style, they’ll buy elsewhere
• Word-of-mouth can be a great way to boost sales but it can also be a destructive force. A dissatisfied customer will tell many more people about their bad experience than a satisfied customer will about a good experience. So, not only have you missed out on one sale but also a bucket-load more
What steps can you take to avoid being too pushy or aggressive and possibly end up loosing a sale?
Early on in the relationship or presentation, don’t be overly familiar. Ask if you can call them by their first name. Seeking permission may sound a bit cheesy but at least you have their permission.
Having established this ground rule, actively listen to what the customer is saying, Is he dropping clear hints that he is not comfortable with what you are saying? Conversely, if he’s not responding at all, ask him if he’s OK with what he has heard so far. Asking questions is a great way of finding out what the customer is really thinking and so an opportunity to put things right.
As well as listening, watch their body language. Do they appear happy or are their eyes constantly looking around (probably looking for the exit!) and not at you. If so, again step back and use questions to check their mood. Slow the pace down and clarify any concerns. Listening to what the customer has to say is the key and then respond by addressing the issues.
If, after taking on board what the customer is saying, you still get a ‘no’, don’t argue; back off and leave the door open for another day. Once the customer has verbally said no, the chances of you getting a sale after that is dramatically reduced. And whatever you do, don’t follow up a few days later with a telephone call! Leave the customer alone and he may come back of his own free will. The memory of your pushy style will linger for some time and the chances of you getting a quick re-match are slim, so don’t try and encourage one!
Next time you are making a sales pitch, make sure you don’t go too far and push the client so hard that he falls off a cliff. You want him alive so he can come and see you another day!
© Robert Warlow
Small Business Success
Small Business Success is a resource dedicated to helping small business owners be more successful. If you are looking for a regular flow of ideas and tips then subscribe to Small Business Success a free newsletter, which provides you with quick tips, ideas and articles. Visit http://smallbusinesssuccess.biz
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If your mind is set, you will be unable to change your mindset. For example Christopher Columbus…
He was born in 1451 in Genoa, the son of a wool merchant and weaver. Do you recall what the conventional thinking or “Mindset” was about the shape of the globe at that time? It was believed to be flat. Not too many sailors sailed too far from shore fearing the worst. Columbus’ mind was set. It was set for taking risks and exploring new worlds.
Columbus discovered the New World on October 12, 1492 at 2:00 a.m. He changed his Mindset and we’re still celebrating his courage, boldness, and discoveries.
How you think is everything. For example – where are the obvious
places to look for new prospects for the products and services you sell? Make a list and go ask one of your competitors to do the same thing. Now compare lists. Hello – exactly the same. Surprise – surprise!
Now make another list and don’t tell your competition about this one. Make a list of all the un-obvious places you can go to find qualified prospects. Remember this is an un-obvious list and it requires a new and different mindset. It ain’t easy but it is good. It isn’t quick but it can be profitable for you. But first, you gotta remove the shackles on your conventional thinking.
You’ll get what you expect – so always expect the best to happen to you. Always be positive and expect the best. Only one person has the keys to your thoughts – you. Put a lid on all negative thinking. If it’s negative it’s usually related to a past experience.
There are three houses you can choose to live in past, present, and future. You can toss away the keys to the past and future houses. You can’t live there so there’s no reason for you to spend any time thinking about them.
Put all your energy in the house called “Present or Today.” When you wake up in the morning and don’t see your name in the obituary column, consider yourself lucky and do everything to make today a “Masterpiece.”
Expect the best in these situations:
1. You’re calling on your competitor’s best customer. Expect them to be receptive to your new ideas. Expect them to give you 1% of the business because they’re willing to see if you can earn even more.
2. You have an appointment with Charley Discount who enjoys beating salespeople up on their prices. Expect Charley to ease up on the pricing pressure because for the first time he really does see the “True Value” of the products and personalized services you provide. He’s even willing to add to the order to make it easier for you to justify better pricing to your sales manager.
3. You have a co-travel coaching day scheduled with your sales
manager. The last one turned a little ugly. Expect your travel day to be a positive experience. Your manager is helpful and encouraging – and even tosses a few compliments your way. And it happens because you expect it to happen. It starts with your expectations.
If you want anything to be better it always starts with your Mindset. Expect things to get better and they will.
If you expect them to get worse – they will and you won’t be
disappointed. Here’s the choice. You can expect the best or theworst but you can only choose one. Now really, isn’t this a No-Brainer for you.
Don’t try to succeed alone. Most salespeople don’t get this one. You shouldn’t think of yourself as a selling “Gladiator.” Success won’t come from your sword, in sales that’s your mouth, it comes from a steady flow of new sales and marketing ideas you can use to help solve your customer’s problems and grow your business.
The prescription for rigid thinking is a changing Mindset.
What Christopher Columbus did required “Radical thinking.” What kind of radical thinking would help you to outsmart your competition?
This isn’t about thinking – it’s about doing!
Jim Meisenheimer’s business is your business. His sales techniques and selling skills focus on practical ideas
that get immediate results. You can discover all his secrets by contacting him at (800) 266-1268, e-mail:
jim@meisenheimer.com or by visiting his website: http://www.meisenheimer.com
You can also check out his NEW online Sales Effectiveness 360 Assessment at this website:
http://www.no-brainersalesprofiles.com
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A fantastic lounge lizard recipe for: Bullfrog, with vodka and lemonade.
Category: Cocktails – Long drinks
Ingredients: 12 shots vodka
1 qt lemonade
How to: Shake well in a closed container, pour into an open container and stir well.
Glassware: Pitcher
What’s in it for you?
(per 44 oz serving)
|
Calories (kcal)
Energy (kj)
Fats
Carbohydrates
Protein
|
1202
5030
0 g
90.6 g
0 g
|
Fiber
Sugars
Cholesterol
Sodium
Alcohol
|
0 g
90.6 g
0 mg
108 mg
136.1 g
|
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A fantastic lounge lizard recipe for: Anejo Highball, with anejo rum, Orange Curacao liqueur, ginger beer, lime juice and Angostura® bitters.
Category: Cocktails – Long drinks
Ingredients: 1 1/2 oz anejo rum
1/2 oz Orange Curacao liqueur
2 oz ginger beer
1/4 oz fresh lime juice
2 dashes Angostura® bitters
How to: Build in a highball glass and fill with ginger beer. Garnish with a lime wheel and an orange slice, and serve.
Glassware: Highball Glass
What’s in it for you?
(per 4.3 oz serving)
|
Calories (kcal)
Energy (kj)
Fats
Carbohydrates
Protein
|
200
836
0 g
13.2 g
0 g
|
Fiber
Sugars
Cholesterol
Sodium
Alcohol
|
-
-
0 mg
18 mg
22.1 g
|
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A fantastic lounge lizard recipe for: A Sunny Delight, with triple sec, lemon vodka, club soda, lemon and Sunny Delight® orange juice.
Category: Cocktails – Long drinks
Ingredients: 1 shot triple sec
3 shots lemon vodka
1 shot club soda
1 lemon
fill with Sunny Delight® orange juice
How to: Using shot glasses or a cannery style mason jar, pour the vodka and the triple sec together. Squeeze the lemon lightly, and place it on the rim. Fill the glass with sunny delight, then add a shot of club soda.
Glassware: Mason Jar
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As I stormed out the door of the building my blood was pumping and all I could think of was how dumb the buyer was. How could this idiot not choose my deal over the one they selected? If you haven’t felt like this at one time or another, you haven’t been in sales very long. All I needed to do was sit in the car, look in the mirror and realize who the dumb one really was. I was looking at him.
I’ve set myself up more than a few times and each time I tell myself “this is the last time.” After a few times, I did learn my lesson and realized what my sales manager told me was correct. He warned me “buyers are liars”. I had to learn to trust my instincts and evaluate the situation from facts and human behavior signals.
There were signals the buyer was sending to me when we met. I was too busy thinking about what I was saying, instead of asking good questions and listening to the answers. Some of what the buyer was saying just didn’t add up. Since the buyer was telling me how much they liked my company, I felt the deal was all sown up. It was what they weren’t telling me and what I wasn’t asking that got me in trouble.
Ask the Tough Questions
In time, I learned that asking the tough questions made the difference and allowed me to flush out any problem in most opportunities. My listening skills improved and results became apparent when tough questions were asked. Unless you want to be the idiot salesperson, you will learn how to ask the tough questions, listen to what the buyer is and isn’t saying and follow your instincts in their behavior.
Steve Martinez implements sales management strategies with a focus on automating sales for printing organizations. Selling Magic teaches businesses how to automate and customize ACT or Outlook with the best practices of sales management while integrating email marketing and technology for greater profits. http://www.sellingmagic.com
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If you are in Sales, you have probably heard these before:
Q: “How can you tell a sales person is lying?”
A: “His lips are moving.”
Q: “Why do lawyers like sales people?”
A: “They give them someone to look down on.”
Sadly, the term sales professional is often seen as an oxymoron, in much the same manner as plastic silverware, accurate forecast, or affordable housing in the metro DC area.
In the interest of complete candor, many of our predecessors, and some of our contemporaries, have earned this less than stellar reputation for our profession. You know who you are, especially if you just felt the urge to stop reading. In the interest of fairness though, every profession has its bad apples. Would you want to face the IRS backed with Enron’s accountants? Or how about looking up at your surgeon to see that he is one of those weight loss infomercial doctors? An entire profession should not be judged by the behavior of a small minority.
The next time you meet a sales person, ask them about their thoughts on the “Ethics Triad.” The Ethics Triad is something that all professionals should have, and the salesperson is no exception. True sales professionals subscribe either consciously or unconsciously to the Ethics Triad rooted in the trio of questions of “is it legal?” “is it moral?” “is it ethical?”
Is it legal? Are the actions you are considering, or the recommendation you are making conform to the laws of your community, your country, and the policies of your firm? If there is some question in your mind, then you owe it to yourself, your firm, and your customers to review what you are doing with senior management or legal council.
Is it moral? Is what you are doing fair to all parties involved? It is said that a person’s character is measured by what they do when nobody is looking. In the harsh light of day, are you pursuing a course of action that you would be proud to have broadcast on the evening news in your hometown?
Is it ethical? The ethics of the medical profession are rooted in three simple, yet powerful words: do no harm. The ethics of the sales profession can be rooted in three equally simple, and powerful words: serve your customer. The true sales professionals seek to achieve his goals, through helping his customers achieve their goals. By subordinating his wants to the needs of the customer, the sales professional demonstrates his commitment to service, and inoculates himself against the twin demons of temptation and greed.
The most precious asset of the sales professional is his or her reputation in the marketplace. By focusing on your customer, keeping the ethics triad in mind, and building a relationship with your client, you will earn a reputation for being trustworthy, honesty, integrity, and a commitment to service. These are the pillars upon which your professional reputation reststhink about it.
Brian is the Chairman and Founder of the the United Professional Sales Association (UPSA). UPSA is a non-profit organization headquartered in Washington DC that has addressed the concerns and challenges of individual sales professionals. Brian has authored the world’s first universal selling standards and open-source selling framework for free distribution. This ‘Compendium of Professional Selling’ containing the commonly accepted and universally functional knowledge that all sales professionals possess. The open-source selling standards have been downloaded in 16 countries by over 300 people. Over 30 people have made contributions.
Because UPSA is not owned by one person or any company, it is a member organization and guardian of the global standard of entry into the sales profession.
Find out about the membership organization and understand the processes and framework of professional selling at the UPSA Website at http://www.upsa-intl.org
Find out more about Brian at: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert_bio=Brian_Lambert
Or at http://www.brianlambert.biz
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